Supports for ash trays, cups and the like



Dec. 29, 1959 COHEN 2,919,096

SUPPQRTS FOR ASH TRAYS CUPS AND THE LIKE Filed NOV. 20, 1957 INVENTOR. LEON (JOHN AUTOHNE'V United States Patent 2,919,096 SUPPORTS FOR ASH TRAYS, curs AND THE LIKE Leon Cohen, East Meadow, N.Y.

Application November 20, 1957, Serial No. 697,598

1 Claim. (Cl. 248-224) This invention relates to the art of supports for ash trays, cups and the like.

The invention is directed in one embodiment thereof to an ash tray for outdoor and indoor aluminum chairs, for wheel chairs, baby carriages, hospital beds and other supports where the disposal of cigarette butts and small waste items must be disposed of in the-immediate area of the support. The invention includes a cup-shaped container and a spring steel quick attaching clip secured to the container and attachable to a tubular frame of a support by spring tension. The spring clip is self adjusting to conform it to the tubular frame. The container and clip are separable for emptying the container at will.

In another embodiment of the invention, a bolt or screw is inserted through a diametral hole in a supporting frame of a chair, bed, table, etc. The screw carries a rubber grommet and a wing nut. The cup or container is formed with a bracket or track which engages a groove in the grommet. The cup or container is removably supported by the grommet. The container can be readily attached to and secured to the support.

The container may have various forms such as to serve as a container for fluids, a playing card holder, cigarette pack holder, small handy tray, catch-all device, and the like.

' It is, therefore, a principal object to provide a cupshaped container provided with a quick attachment and detachment device whereby the container is removably supported on a tubular frame.

A further object is to provide a cup-shaped container with a spring clip for securing the container to a tubular frame, the container being adapted to be removably secured on the clip.

A still further object is to provide a quickly attachable and detachable support for a waste container, said support including a bolt, wing nut, and rubber grommet.

For further comprehension of the invention, and of the objects and advantages thereof, reference will be had to the following description and accompanying drawings, and to the appended claim in which the various novel features of the invention are more particularly set forth.

In the accompanying drawings forming a material part of this disclosure:

Fig. 1 is an elevational view of a device embodying the invention.

'Fig. 2 is a plan View taken on lines 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a perspective exploded view of members of the device.

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of another form of device embodying the invention.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on lines 5-5 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is an elevational view of the container of Figs. 4 and 5.

Fig. 7 is an exploded perspective view of portions of fastening members employed in the device of Figs. 4-6.

In Fig. 1 is shown in elevational view a hollow cylindrical cup-shaped body 10 formed of metal, plastic, or

the like. The body 10 has an open top. Mounted on Y the open top and readily removable therefrom is an annular. ring 11 having a circular opening 12 and a depending flange or skirt 14. The upper annular surface 15 of the ring inclines downwardly so that any waste placed upon the surface 15 will tend to slide into the hollow interior of the container 10-. The cylindrical portion of body 10 is formed with a plurality of corrugations defining rings 16. These corrugations facilitate handling and carrying of the container when it is detached from its support. A circular shoulder 17 is integrally formed with the container near the open top thereof. This shoulder has a flat annular bottom surface 20. The container has a flat bottom 21, whose diameter is less than the diameter of the cylindrical body 10. The flat bottom of the container permits it to stand upright on a flat support.

Struck outwardly from the body 10 are a pair of fingers 22 as best shown in Figs. 1 and 3. These fingers have their free ends 25 separated a short distance apart. The ends of the fingers are bent so as to extend coplanar with each other and spaced from the curved plane of the body 10.

A bracket or support clip 30, as best shown in Fig. 3, is employed to removably support the container on a tubular support such as frame member 31 of a chair, table or the like. In Fig. 1 member 31 is a leg of a chair C having a seat 32 and a back 33. The legs and back are secured to the seat by screws 35 and 36. Clip 30 has a pair of curved arms 38 which extend outwardly from the bent flange sections 40 at one end of the clip. The free ends 42 of the arms extend outwardly in generally opposite directions. The clip is formed from a single strip of fiat spring metal. The flanges 40 are joined by a flexible rear bridge section 44. Neck sections 45 join the arms 38 to the flanges 40'. Flanges 40 are flattened against the bridge section 44-. The bridge section and flange sections fit under and upwardly into engagement with fingers 22 of the container. When the clip 30 is fully engaged with the container, the flat undersurface of shoulder 20 rests on the top edges of the bridge section and flanges. This is the position of the container as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

In assembly of the device, the clip will be snapped on to a tubular support such as frame member 31 with arms 38 conforming to the width or diameter of the support. The body 10 may then be placed upon the clip with fingers 22 and sections 40, 44 in engagement and with the top edges of the sections abutting the flat undersurface 20 of shoulder 17. Ring 11 is removably seated on the container. The inwardly extending surface 15 prevents waste deposited in the container from inadvertently falling out.

It is to be understood that the clip may be attached to the front or rear leg or arm of any chair.

When it is desired to clean the container, it can easily be removed from the clip without disturbing the position of the clip on the frame member 31. If necessary, the ring 11 can be removed to permit access to full width of the interior of the container. It is, of course, possible to use the device with ring 11 permanently removed.

Instead of forming fingers 22 as struck out portions of the container, they can be separate members welded or otherwise attached to the container body, so that aperture 23 need not be formed in the body 10.

In Figs. 4-7 is shown another form of the invention. The container 10 is here provided with a rectangularly U-shaped bracket member 50. Member 50 has a bight in the form of a fiat plate 51 with arms 55. The arms have wings 52 secured to the container by welding 53. The plate has a slot 54 formed therein, the flat face of the plate thus stands outwardly from the surface of the container a distance determined by the width of the arms 55. An aperture is formed transversely through tubular member 31 and a screw or bolt 60 extends through this aperture. A wing nut 61 is.threaded.on the free end of the bolt, The bolt carries a cylindrical flexible rubber grommet62 which has a circular groove 64 therein. The groove divides the grommet into sections 65 and 66. Bolt 60extends through aperture 67 in the grommetand the head 680i the bolt abuts section 66 of the grommet. Section 66 fits within.thespacebetween theplate 51 and the outer surface ofthe container 10 as clearly shown in Fig. 5 and the section 65v is pressed between plate 51 and the tubular member 31 when the wing nut .61 is tightened. The flexible body of the grommet conforms to the curvature of the member 31 to insure a non-rotatable mounting of the container on member 31. I

The sides of slot 64 are engaged at the sides of groove 54. To remove the container from the member 31, it is only necessary to loosen the wing nut 61 and lift the container 10 upwardly to disengage the grommet 62 and bracket plate 51.

Container 10 has the same cylindrical form in Figs. 4-6 as it has in Figs. 1-3 and the corrugations or rings 16 serve the same function in both forms of the invention.

in use, the container is rigidly supported and safely holds all cigarette butts and other waste placed into it. The quick attachable feature of the invention makes it possible to use the device at any desired location where a person sits, while smoking, eating, reading, etc.

The container 10 is preferably formed of metal such as aluminum, brass, copper,. steel, and the like. It may be given any desired color by anodizing, plating, lacquering, etc. If the container is made of a plastic material it may be cast, vacuum formed or otherwise formed economically by high speed mass production methods. All

parts of the devicehave simple geometric forms so that they can be fabricated economically by standard manufacturing methods.

If desired, manufacturers of furniture such. as chairs, tables and the like, can provide suitable apertures in the various legs, arms, or other structural members of furniture they manufacture so that the user need not drill holes therethrough to attach the container by means of bolt 60.

While I have illustrated and described the preferred embodiments of my invention, it is to be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise'constructions herein disclosed and that various changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the invention as defined in the appended claim.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent A device of the kind described comprising, a container, a bracket and a transverselyperforate'd tubular support, said container having a cylindrical body with an open top and closed bottom, said bracket having a U-shaped body with end arms connected by a bight portion, said bight portion having a curved slot therein intersecting one edge thereof, said arms fixed to the cylindrical body of the container, an elongated threaded bolt extending through and outwardly of the perforation in said tubular support, a flexible grommet sleeved around one of the protruding ends of the bolt, and a wing nut on the other protruding end of the bolt for securing the bracket to the perforated tubular support, said grommet having an annular groove adjacent one end thereof, the edge walls of said groove interlocked with the edge walls of the curved slot in the bight portion of the bracket, said grommet serving to support the container and to space the bracket from the tubular support, said grommet adapted to conform to the shape of the tubular support.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,637,172 Burress July 26, 1927 1,716,530. Oliver June 11, 1929 1,941,844 Larkin Jan. 2, 1934 2,156,025 Paul Apr. 25, 1939 2,165,544 Gordenier July 11, 1939 2,182,660 Dillard Dec. 5, 1939 2,388,585 Weber Nov. 6, 1945 2,525,299 Johnson Oct. 10, 1950 2,540,784 Hocher Feb. 6, 1951 2,681,469 Condon June 22, 1954 2,807,431 McHale Sept. 24, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 149,698 Austria May 25, 1937 

